Saturday morning daydream

via i heart new england

I'm a sucker for an adirondack chair. Especially a red one. With a view like that. Care to join me?

Flowers for your Friday

via tiny white daisies

Hello and Happy Friday! While you're reading this, I'll be in Vancouver with Em, getting ready for her Canadian wedding ceremony and party (I was there in France last summer for the French edition, remember?) Hope you're all having as much fun today as I am. Do you have any exciting plans for the weekend? It's a long one here in BC, so I know my Canadian friends will be hitting the beach and firing up the barbeque for three lovely days- hooray! I'll be back on Monday with lots to tell, and loads of photos, I'm sure. In the meantime, leave millions of comments, won't you? That way I'll know you missed me while I was gone ;~)

A bientot!

Bisous,

E xo

Party under the patio lanterns!

via madame cupcake

Hello all! This is just a quick note to say I'm off to Vancouver for the weekend, to see Em again (hurrah!), get a pedicure, put on my party dress and dance the night away! Am very excited, and in a mad rush to get everything organized before I go. My heartfelt thanks to Amanda, Linda, Jess and my parents- the babysitting tag-team extraordinaire! They're all looking after the boys at some point or other to make this weekend away possible, and I love them for it. I'm a lucky girl and I know it. This weekend, Vancouver. Next weekend, London! Life is good. Hope yours is, too. More soon,

love E xo

Wednesday coffee date

Come join us for a coffee date over at Dolce Vita! Micaela hosted a virtual get-together, and it's so much fun to see so many blogging friends all in one place... and all of us with a hot bevvy in hand! M's calling it a coffee date, but it's okay if you want to drink tea. I did!

A bit more about me

My lovely friend Cassie tagged me a while ago to answer a few fun questions, and finally, here they are!

1. What books are you reading right now? Currently I'm reading a book called Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner. I'm almost finished. Next up is The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte (not actually her secret diaries, but a novel based on lots of research). I'm also reading a great London travel guide, geared towards parents of young kids. It's given me some great ideas about places to visit (9 days till take-off!)

2. What is your all-time favourite film and why? Without question, my favourite film is It's a Wonderful Life. Growing up, we would watch it every Christmas on PBS. When I was a teenager, my mom got me a boxed set with the video and photo stills and a fabulous old movie poster. I think that was the best gift I ever got for Christmas, ever. From the first time I ever saw George Bailey leaping for joy on that bridge in the snow, I have loved that film. It makes me cry the happiest tears. Every. Single. Time. I know I'm a sentimental fool, but I am just so touched by the movie's message about the importance of friends and family, and the impact we all have on one another's lives. And I adore Jimmy Stewart.

3. Which is your favourite room in your house and what makes it special? Tough call. Each room in my house has things about it that I want to change. Our home is a fixer-upper and it's really coming along nicely, but I have never been good at ignoring the things that still need to be done (note to self: must work on that!) That aside, I think my favourite room is the living room, especially on a winter evening when there's a fire roaring in the woodstove, and the lamps are casting a warm glow around the room. It's a cozy spot, and I like to sit here with my tea, reading my book and relaxing.

4. Tell us about a childhood holiday you loved. Every year when I was a kid, we'd go camping in the summer. For almost the entire summer. No joke, we'd camp for 4 and 5 and 6 weeks at a time. It was fabulous! We'd go to the same campground, up in the woods on Cowichan Lake. We had our favourite site, the one right by the lake, and we'd stake it out for days until its current residents packed up and left, and then we'd move in, with tents and trailers and tarps and bikes and boats and everything else you can think of! I can remember so clearly playing Yahtzee at the picnic table, roasting marshmallows around the fire, reading stacks of Archie comics on the beach, swimming by the shore, canoeing out to the islands, traipsing through the forest and building secret forts with friends. Those summers at Caycuse are some of my happiest and most vivid childhood memories.

5. What's the one place you really want to visit that you haven't been to before? Paris. Why have I still not been to Paris? It's ridiculous. I have been to London a million times. And most of those times were pre-children! Back when I had all the time in the world, and plenty of money in my pocket. One summer, Em and I were actually both living in London. We could have hopped on the Eurostar any day that summer and been in Paris a few hours later! Le sigh...

6. What's your favourite go-to comfort food? Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies with tea. Fortunately, I haven't often got a fresh baked batch of chocolate chip cookies on my kitchen counter. Otherwise, we'd have a problem!

7. What is something fun/inspiring you've seen online lately that you'd like to share? I've really been enjoying the Seattle-based blog, A Day that is Dessert. It's written by Lecia, who takes the loveliest photos of her daily life. I like looking at all the pictures of the beautiful Pacific northwest, practically on my doorstep, and reading about her two boys (older than mine, but I know we'll be there soon enough, and I like to get ideas about fun things to do together...I also enjoy seeing the two brothers getting along so well- they're fairly close in age like my two, so it gives me hope!) Go take a peek at this post. You'll like what you see.

I'm not going to tag anybody right now. I know you're all busy enjoying your summer (and winter, for those of you in Australia!) but if you feel like answering any of these questions yourself in the comments (or on your own blogs), please do! I love to learn more about the people who are visiting my little corner of the blogosphere...

Tumblr Tuesday {top three this week}

So, I've got big plans for next week's Tumblr Tuesday theme {hint: there are suitcases involved} but this week I seem to be lacking both the time and the energy to put together anything big. So instead I've chosen my top three favourites from the past few days to share with you. It's so difficult to decide! The whole purpose of tumblr is to collect pretty pictures, and there are so very many to choose from, but here are a few that I especially like...

First up, this gorgeous sitting area. I love the big windows, the cozy window seat and the splashes of pale blue and bright orange. Can't you imagine curling up here with tea and snacks and a few girlfriends to chat away for hours?

blueprint bliss

Next is this little blue clapboard cafe, with the bicycle out front. I love a bike with a basket. This photo just screams summertime to me.

mustang gina

Finally, this wee Eiffel Tower in a field full of daisies. I love everything about it. It's French-y, it's flowery, it's fun.

ever fall in love

And there you have it. Three pretty pictures from my tumblr archive. But now I've got to go. I'm sleepy, and in desperate need of a cup of tea.

More tomorrow, I promise. I've got some pretty great mini-golfing photos to show you! Until then...

E xo

Much Love Monday

tiny white daisies

Happy Monday, my friends! Can it really be that today is the last Monday in July? That we're already almost half-way through the summer holidays? Say it isn't so! I'd like to slow things down a little this week, to just sit in the sunshine and feel the breeze and keep my eyes closed for a nice long while. We'll see...

Anyway, since it's Monday, I think it's time to share the love, don't you? Here are a few things that have got me smiling at the moment:

• My brother is home from the hospital and recovering ~ hallelujah!

• The weather forecast is nothing short of fantastic, which means more beach/park/BBQ time in our future :)

• On Thursday, I'm off to Vancouver to see my favourite (usually faraway) friend, Em!!! We are having a girly night of pedicures, appies and martinis, followed by a sleepover, a long lazy Friday and then a weekend of wedding party fun (including a dance party in her parents' carport! awesome!)

• Alan's on his way to join me for the festivities after work on Friday night... it will be the first time we've been away together, just the two of us, since before Sawyer was born! The boys are very excited about their sleepover weekend at Gramma and Grampa's house

• Watermelon, and plenty of it! (I'm not even exaggerating when I say that Alan bought a watermelon that is heavier than Sawyer! It is enormous)

• Ice cream art by my crafty boys (totally going up on the kitchen wall)

• And finally, several lovely ladies have agreed to write guest posts for me whilst I'm away (have I mentioned we're off to England in 12 days?!) and they've started arriving in my inbox... stay tuned for a sneak peek later this week!

As always, be sure to link up over on Anna's blog, Much Love, and let me know what you're loving this Monday. Because when you're happy, I'm happy.

Erin xo

Owl Post!

Look what came in the mail the other day! My friend Lindsay has been spending the summer in Florida, and has had a great time visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios! She knows how much I love everything Harry-related, and spoiled me with a fabulous parcel full of wizardy fun!

Look at the postmark on this postcard! Straight from the Hogsmeade post office!

Mmm, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans! So far Alan has eaten one that tasted like dirt, and another like salt and pepper. We've been lucky to avoid Dumbledore's least favourite... bogey-flavour!

Pumpkin juice... surprisingly tasty!

We have been nibbling away at the chocolate frog (see my Helga Hufflepuff trading card?!) and enjoying a fudge fly on occasion too...

Needless to say, I am one very happy Muggle! Thank you, Lindsay! You are too kind...

Sunny side up

{via williams-sonoma, spotted on 74 lime lane}

How fab would it be to have a daisy shaped egg for breakfast? Oooh, I love it! I want one of these egg-fry rings, like right now! We'd be eating breakfast for dinner every night... Seriously. We might even need to invest in some chickens.

"Our roots say we're sisters, our hearts say we're friends" -unknown

via strange gypsy

My sister has been away for two weeks. It feels like it's been years! I can't wait to see her tomorrow, to sit and gossip and drink diet Coke and laugh our heads off about some stupid thing or other. It is going to be great.